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Ideation for Startups

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Dougal Edwards Cofounder & Head of product, GetViable

Digital product & user engagement expert

Deep digital product pedigree across B2C & B2B / Media, Finance & Startup

Global experience leading digital product strategies – idea to launch

GetViable is an online accelerator that helps you discover, validate and build your startup ideas

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GOT IDEAS ?

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An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements

- James Webb Young

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What is ideation anyway?

“It depends…”

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Traditional PMs & Tech

“Just make sure ideas stop before project and development even start”

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The Design Thinkers

“RADICAL” design alternatives

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The Design Thinkers

“RADICAL” design alternatives

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Everyone else…

Idewhat??

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Ideation Techniques Brainstorming (alone/together) Brainwriting ForceFit (intense peace) Poetry Borrowing Logical level Up Bizarro world

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Let’s Brainstorm!!

(JOKE)

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People can be overly concerned about how their ideas will be perceived.

Most ideas never leave the thinker’s mind because of this internal editing.

You must loosen up the team to get over this hesitation.

What was that feeling…?

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A quick exercise in brainwriting

Seriously now…

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2 minutes

Write your name

&

A problem you want to solve

Pass it on

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How might we…

Use parts of this problem for good?

Separate the problem from the experience?

Make it the opposite of the problem?

Challenge the assumption of the problem?

Change the status quo that

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The BIG idea – 3 minutes Take a moment to get a little bit of background

“WHY?” Think of a BIG idea that may (or may not) be an answer to this problem.

DOESN’T MATTER (or does it?)

Pass it on

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Develop the idea – 3 minutes

Read the problem and the BIG idea.

Look for a connection.

Ask yourself “WHY?”

Develop idea in a way you think might work.

Pass it on

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Pass it on

Conclude the idea – 3 minutes

Read the problem and the ideas.

Look for a connection.

Ask yourself “WHY?”

Develop idea in a way you think might work.

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Ideation in startups…

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the process of bringing ideas to life

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Questions, questions… Do you know you are solving a problem?

Do you know whose problem you’re solving?

Do you know what problem you’re solving?

How do you know?

Have you talked to people?

…Has your idea changed as a result?

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We always look at an issue or problem through our own lens. Our expertise, experiences and bias leads us to our own unique solution.

- Someone

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“If I had an hour to solve a problem I‘d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

(but today… we have the luxury of failing)

- Albert Einstein

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The journey of a startup idea

Minimum Viable

Product

Traction

Woooohoooooo!

Confusion, Chaos

[Time & Money]

Validation

YAY!

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Lean Startup

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IDEAS

CODE

DATA

LEARN

BUILD MEASURE

Rapid iteration requires constant ideation

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Customer Development

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Business Model Canvas

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“It’s only when you open yourself up to the absurd that you find true creativity”

- Someone Else

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I’d like my crayons back, please.

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Where is ideation for startups?

ideation

MVP Traction Chaos

Validation Part of your brain should ALWAYS be creating

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In closing

Some practical idea stuff…

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Idea Articulation I am developing (a defined offering) to help (a target audience) to (solve a problem)

with (secret sauce) .

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7 Rules of an Idea 1.  Simple ideas win 2.  Simple original ideas win more

3.  Single revenue stream

4.  Name your customer

5.  Easy to explain 6.  BIG market

7.  Legitimate secret sauce

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The idea itself

1.  Must be specific

2. Avoid buzzwords

3. Avoid adjectives

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Testing your startup idea

1.  Share your idea – feedback rocks

2.  Ideas don’t matter – execution does

3.  Nobody is going to steal your idea

4.  NDAs are obsolete and irrelevant

Questions?

Dougal Edwards

Linkedin.com/in/dougaledwards @dougaled GetViable.com @getviable